Tag: B1

Intermediate 1

video

B1 Used to and didn’t use to for past habits and states

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Here is a video lesson on used to and didn’t use to that we can use to speak about past habits and states. I have called the animation Dandelions as it is actually this flower that prompts my character, an elderly man, to feel nostalgic about the past and compare it to the present. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P6aSkMjQrQ…… Continue reading B1 Used to and didn’t use to for past habits and states

B1 · Grammar · video

B1/B2 Questions in reported speech

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Basically speaking, we use two different sentence structures for reporting questions in reported speech. This depends on the type of answer that the speaker expects: Wh-questions and Yes-No questions. Wh-questions want information about: Who for a person Example: “Who is your partner?” She asked me who my partner was. When for a time Example: “When…… Continue reading B1/B2 Questions in reported speech

B1 · Grammar · video

B1/B2 How to make guesses using modal verbs

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https://youtu.be/ffBGrwPwi8E Serena’s blog This is a fun (real fun, promise!) grammar lesson about one of the uses of modal verbs. I know that students usually find modals boring, so this video is an activity that I thought up for my intermediate levels. We’ve done this one quite a few times, but with the exception that…… Continue reading B1/B2 How to make guesses using modal verbs

B1 · Clothes, fashion & consumerism

B2 Speaking Shopping, fashion and consumerism

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Here you will find a presentation that deals with most of the related topics of conversation for the B2 levels within shopping, fashion and consumerism.

B1

Confusing words: Sport and other activities: play, do or go?

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When should we use these three collocations: do, go or play? This is a confusing one! The basic rules are: use go with nearly all names of activities that end in -ing (there are some exceptions like 'boxing'), and when you would usually go somewhere to do this. Use 'play' with team games and boardgames.… Continue reading Confusing words: Sport and other activities: play, do or go?

A1 · A2 · B1

English sounds video number 3 – /æ/

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If you have problems saying something like ‘Young rats in black hats’ or ‘The cat sat on my hat’ Then this video on phonetics will be handy as it will help you practise this open ‘a’ (ahhhhhhh!) sound. https://youtu.be/l3Y0jZY0d8g Serena’s blog

A1 · A2 · B1

English vowel sounds short i /I/ & long I /i:/

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As a start for this year, here’s another video on English vowel sounds. This video is for short and long i sounds that are often confused by learners of English. At the end of the video you have a short listening activity to practise distinguishing the sound between two words that have a very similar…… Continue reading English vowel sounds short i /I/ & long I /i:/

A2 · B1 · C 2 · video

What is phonetics and why should we learn it?

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Some years ago I devoted part of the blog to this area of language learning, but now that the plug-in is no longer available, I needed to refocus on a new tool. So why not Youtube? I’m going to gradually upgrade all the stuff I wrote on phonetics and here is the very first video.…… Continue reading What is phonetics and why should we learn it?

A2 · B1

Learning English with songs: Feeling Good by Avicii

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Good morning! Today’s Monday and many of you may feel tired and not very motivated by the thought of starting a new week, but the funny thing is that some of us feel happy and full of energy because during the weekend we had time to think and plan new projects and Monday is the…… Continue reading Learning English with songs: Feeling Good by Avicii

A2 · B1

Silent letters in English words

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When you have a phonetic language like Spanish, for instance, it is quite easy to say the words you have learned from a book or  a dictionary because if you know the sound of each letter, you can do quite well when speaking the language and everybody will understand you. But this is not the…… Continue reading Silent letters in English words